[Dialogue] Indigenous People's Day: Thanksgiving Address

[Ellie Stock]

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE'S DAY
Thanksgiving Address Ganonhanyonh (Words thatCome Before All                      Else):  Haudenosaunee Greetings to the Natural World
  TheThanksgiving Address (the Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen) is the central prayer andinvocation for the Haudenosaunee (also known as the Iroquois Confederacy or SixNations — Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora).  It reflects their relationship of givingthanks for life and the world around them. The Haudenosaunee open and closeevery social and religious meeting with the Thanksgiving Address.   Itis also said as a daily sunrise prayer, and is an ancient message of peace andappreciation of Mother Earth and her inhabitants. The children learn that,according to Native American tradition, people everywhere are embraced asfamily. Our diversity, like all wonders of Nature, is truly a gift for which weare thankful.  Whenone recites the Thanksgiving Address the Natural World is thanked, and in thankingeach life-sustaining force, one becomes spiritually tied to each of the forcesof the Natural and Spiritual World.  TheThanksgiving Address teaches mutual respect, conservation, love, generosity,and the responsibility to understand that what is done to one part of the Webof Life, we do to ourselves.   THE PEOPLE Today we have gathered and we see that the cycles oflife continue. We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony witheach other and all living things. So now, we bring our minds together as one aswe give greetings and thanks to each other as people.  NOWOUR MINDS ARE ONE.    THE EARTHMOTHER   We are all thankful to our Mother, the Earth, forshe gives us all that we need for life. She supports our feet as we walk aboutupon her. It gives us joy that she continues to care for us as she has from thebeginning of time. To our mother, we send greetings and thanks.  NOW OURMINDS ARE ONE.    THE WATERS We give thanks to all the waters of the world forquenching our thirst and providing us with strength. Water is life. We know itspower in many forms- waterfalls and rain, mists and streams, rivers and oceans.With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to the spirit of Water.    NOWOUR MINDS ARE ONE.    THE FISH We turn our minds to the all the Fish life in the water.They were instructed to cleanse and purify the water. They also give themselvesto us as food. We are grateful that we can still find pure water. So, we turnnow to the Fish and send our greetings and thanks.    NOWOUR MINDS ARE ONE.    THE PLANTS Now we turn toward the vast fields of Plant life. Asfar as the eye can see, the Plants grow, working many wonders. They sustainmany life forms. With our minds gathered together, we give thanks and lookforward to seeing Plant life for many generations to come.    NOWOUR MINDS ARE ONE.    THE FOOD PLANTS With one mind, we turn to honor and thank all theFood Plants we harvest from the garden.   Since the beginning of time, the grains,vegetables, beans and berries have helped the people survive. Many other livingthings draw strength from them too. We gather all the Plant Foods together asone and send them a greeting of thanks.  NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.    THE MEDICINEHERBS Now we turn to all the Medicine herbs of the world.From the beginning they were instructed to take away sickness. They are alwayswaiting and ready to heal us. We are happy there are still among us thosespecial few who remember how to use these plants for healing. With one mind, wesend greetings and thanks to the Medicines and to the keepers of the Medicines.   NOWOUR MINDS ARE ONE.    THE ANIMALS We gather our minds together to send greetings andthanks to all the Animal life in the world.  They have many things to teach us as people.We are honored by them when they give up their lives so we may use their bodiesas food for our people. We see them near our homes and in the deep forests. Weare glad they are still here and we hope that it will always be so.    NOWOUR MINDS ARE ONE  THE TREES We now turn our thoughts to the Trees. The Earth hasmany families of Trees who have their own instructions and uses. Some provideus with shelter and shade, others with fruit, beauty and other useful things.Many people of the world use a Tree as a symbol of peace and strength. With onemind, we greet and thank the Tree life.  NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.    THE BIRDS We put our minds together as one and thank all theBirds who move and fly about over our heads. The Creator gave them beautifulsongs. Each day they remind us to enjoy and appreciate life. The Eagle waschosen to be their leader. To all the Birds-from the smallest to the largest-wesend our joyful greetings and thanks.   NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.    THE FOUR WINDS We are all thankful to the powers we know as theFour Winds. We hear their voices in the moving air as they refresh us andpurify the air we breathe. They help us to bring the change of seasons. Fromthe four directions they come, bringing us messages and giving us strength.  With one mind, we send our greetings andthanks to the Four Winds.   NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.    THE THUNDERERS Now we turn to the west where our grandfathers, theThunder Beings, live. With lightning and thundering voices, they bring withthem the water that renews life. We are thankful that they keep those evilthings made by Okwiseres underground. We bring our minds together as one  to send greetings and thanks to ourGrandfathers, the Thunderers.    NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.    THE SUN We now send greetings and thanks to our eldestBrother, the Sun. Each day without fail he travels the sky from east to west,bringing the light of a new day. He is the source of all the fires of life.With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our Brother, the Sun.     NOWOUR MINDS ARE ONE.    GRANDMOTHER MOON We put our minds together to give thanks to ouroldest Grandmother, the Moon, who lights the night-time sky. She is the leaderof woman all over the world, and she governs the movement of the ocean tides.By her changing face we measure time, and it is the Moon who watches over thearrival of children here on Earth. With one mind, we send greetings and thanksto our Grandmother, the Moon.  NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.    THE STARS We give thanks to the Stars who are spread acrossthe sky like jewelry. We see them in the night, helping the Moon to light thedarkness and bringing dew to the gardens and growing things. When we travel atnight, they guide us home. With our minds gathered together as one, we sendgreetings and thanks to the Stars.   NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.    THE WISDOMKEEPERS We gather our minds to greet and thank the WisdomKeepers who have come to help throughout the ages. When we forget how to livein harmony, they remind us of the way we were instructed to live as people.With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to these caring teachers.   NOWOUR MINDS ARE ONE.    THE CREATOR Now we turn our thoughts to the Creator, or GreatSpirit, and send greetings and thanks for all the gifts of Creation. Everythingwe need to live a good life is here on this Mother Earth. For all the love thatis still around us, we gather our minds together as one and send our choicest  words of greetings and thanks to the Creator.    NOWOUR MINDS ARE ONE.    CLOSING WORDS We have now arrived at the place where we end ourwords. Of all the things we have named, it was not our intention to leaveanything out. If something was forgotten, we leave it to each individual tosend such greetings and thanks in their own way.    NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.    This translation of the Mohawk versionof the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address was developed, published in 1993, andprovided, courtesy of: Six Nations Indian Museum and the Tracking Project Allrights reserved. Thanksgiving Address: Greetings to the Natural World Englishversion: John Stokes and Kanawahienton (David Benedict, Turtle Clan/Mohawk)Mohawk version: Rokwaho (Dan Thompson, Wolf Clan/Mohawk) Original inspiration:Tekaronianekon (Jake Swamp, Wolf Clan/Mohawk)
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Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address | Dance For All Peopledanceforallpeople.com/haudenosaunee-thanksgiving...Greetings to the Natural World The Thanksgiving Address (the Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen) is the central prayer and invocation for the Haudenosaunee (also known as the Iroquois Confederacy or Six Nations — Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora). It reflects their relationship of giving thanks for life and the world around them.


 
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